The present invention relates generally to the field of map locations, and more particularly to depicting location attributes in a map environment.
Map services may be implemented with various devices, such as computing devices, mobile devices, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Most map services are capable of displaying an image of a map environment, which may include points of interest, an origin and/or a destination point, and traffic conditions among other depictions, each represented by varying map icons. The map icons can display useful information to a user, such as a street address of a point of interest. A point of interest may be, for example, a restaurant, a gas station, or a hospital.
Map services often allow a user to search for points of interest in a specific geographical area, and the map service returns a results list with multiple points of interest in the specified geographical area. Map services may also determine a route, such as a shortest distance route or a lowest traffic route, between two specified points of interest. Map services often allow a user to interact with a map environment. For example, a user may zoom in on a map display to get a more detailed image of a smaller area, or a user may zoom out from the map display to get broader information about a larger area.